


Bird of Prey

by SweetXscape



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Daddy Kink, Darkfic, Drug-Induced Sex, Dysfunctional Relationships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Evil Tony Stark, F/M, Forced Ejaculation, Hurt James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Implied/Referenced Abortion, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Crossdressing, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark at MIT, James "Rhodey" Rhodes Needs a Hug, Jealous Tony Stark, M/M, Mental Instability, Minor James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Monica Rambeau, Obsessive Behavior, POV James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Possessive Tony Stark, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Predator/Prey, Psychological Trauma, Sexual Harassment, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark cannot be saved, Tony Stark is a villain, Underage Drug Use, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23312236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetXscape/pseuds/SweetXscape
Summary: James never thought that when a fourteen-year old Tony Stark drifted into his life at the tender age of eighteen during his freshman year at M.I.T. that it would ultimately flip his world upside down in ways he could’ve never imagined.Had he known then what he’d known now, he would have ran for the hills the moment the scrawny, pimply pre-teen came into his line of vision, would’ve dropped out then and transferred schools if only to spare himself the hell that would await him in his foreseeable future.How could he have been so naïve, so gullible and so pathetically weak?「In which Tony is the bird that stalks and hunts and James is the prey that sulks and bleeds」Horror Playlist can be foundhere!
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark
Comments: 17
Kudos: 35





	1. The Beginning of the Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Time of the Season by The Zombies covered by The Ben Taylor Band.
> 
> As a disclaimer: this story is going to be _extremely _dark and dealing with a lot of controversial subject matters, so if you find that you are easily triggered; please heed to the tags and warnings for this story and proceed with caution and at your own discretion. Thank you in advance.__
> 
> __Also, the texts in _italics _represent flashbacks of an event the narrator is referencing, in case anyone is confused.___ _

_“It’s the time of the season  
_ _When love runs high_

_Let me try  
With pleasured hands_

_To take you in the sun to promised lands_

_What’s your name?  
Who’s your daddy?  
Is he rich like me?_

_Has he taken any time  
To show you what you need to live  
It’s the time of the season for loving”_

James had first met Tony Stark in college at M.I.T., when he was eighteen-years old and Tony was fourteen.

They had gotten assigned as partners in a class project and Tony had ended up inviting James over to his luxurious condo to further discuss the details of their project together… at least that’s what James had initially thought.

James had heard all about Tony Stark before he even met the young boy, the rumors and whispers around campus about Tony’s young age, his wealthy background, his genius, his promiscuity and apparent love of Vodka and coke.

James hadn’t truly been paying attention to most of the rumors that floated around about Tony and the ones he was made aware of, he had a hard time believing for a couple of reasons, but the main the ones being one: He had always been raised to give others the benefit of the doubt and to never judge a book by its cover, and secondly: Tony might’ve been rich and well-off, but he was still a kid - 14-years old at that! There was no way he could be engaging in half the shit that he was rumored to be involved in.

But then... something happened. Tony had come onto him for the first time not long after he arrived at Tony’s condo (the kid was _14-years old_ and had a _condo!_ ), pushing James against the wall near his entryway and kissing him rather roughly. James was momentarily shocked into speechlessness, before he finally came to his senses and pushed the smaller boy away from him, appalled.

 _“Tony! What’re doing?” James shrieked, wiping his mouth with his forearm_.

_“Giving you what you want, what we both want.” The young boy grinned as he tried to lean in again but was blocked by James’ hands on his chest._

_“What?! You’re 14-years old!”_

_“So? I’ve fucked women and men that were way older than you. It’s not a big deal.”_

_“Tony, stop!”_

_“Why?!” Tony exclaimed in anger. “What’s the big deal?!”_

_“The big deal is that you’re an actual child! And I’m not even gay and even if I was, I wouldn’t be with you of all people!”_

The words had come out a lot harsher than James had initially intended, but he needed to let Tony know that he didn’t want the same thing as he and someone his age _shouldn’t_ be wanting _that_ either. It made James feel nauseous at the thought of others his age and older taking advantage of Tony - the baby faced and scrawny kid he was. He looked every bit of a child. Who could actually get off to his obvious prepubescent body? It made something inside James twist in utter disgust.

Tony did end up completely backing off of him that day and then proceeded to switch the subject and talk about what they needed to get started on regarding their class project. Tony, for the rest of that afternoon, behaved like nothing untoward had ever happened.

Tony had also offered to do the project by himself, but James refused. It was a joint project so they would collaborate together. There was no way he’d allow a 14-year old to do all the work, no matter how much of a genius he was or how many times he insisted. James had been in plenty of group projects back in middle and high school and he’d always been the one left to do all the work. It was a shitty feeling, so there was no way he would turn around and do the same thing to Tony knowing how much he hated it when people did that to him.

Tony looked as affronted as he did when James had pushed him away and turned him down and James couldn’t understand why. It was like Tony had never been told “no” before. Hell, given the fact that he was practically a trust fund baby, it was likely he never had.

The project was worth 50% of their grade and they ended up passing with flying colors. James had ended up taking Tony out for ice cream to celebrate. He found that Tony had grown on him over the course of the three months they had worked together. Tony wasn’t half as bad as people made him out to be.

But, he could not lie, it was obvious to James even then that Tony had issues, not the stereotypical issues most kids have at 14, but issues that worried James, frightened him even. Still, he didn’t judge Tony. He was never the judgmental type anyway, but with Tony, he felt... pity for him. He was too young to be battling so many demons. James had a few of his own and he thought _that_ was a lot. Tony had more than the both of them combined and James found that to be heart-wrenching.

But, despite all of this, James decided to befriend Tony, not only because he felt sorry for him, but because overall, he seemed like a sweet kid that seemed rather unhappy and lonely.

Something inside James at the time, whether it be his gut feeling or intuition, told him that involving Tony in his life was a bad idea. James didn’t know where that heavy feeling had come from, but it was there and omnipresent all throughout their friendship. It was always _something_ inside him that screamed for him to run for the hills... but he didn’t.

Maybe he was sheltered and naive (he’d been told that several times throughout his life), but James, with time, would eventually find out that his naivete would come back to bite him in the ass in ways James would’ve never imagined.

* * *

James had oftentimes felt like a babysitter to Tony. The age difference between them didn’t help; but it wasn’t _only_ that. It was Tony’s immaturity and his affinity to rebel. 

No matter what, trouble always seemed to find Tony and he always found himself in incriminating and compromising situations. Of course Tony never got into any serious legal trouble like anybody else would have. Tony’s parents were always there to provide him a safety net of security whenever he screwed up. Tony _rarely_ faced the consequences of his reckless actions. He could get away with anything he wanted - even murder. Maybe that was exaggerating on his part, but James wouldn’t put it past Tony or his parents and their ability to cover up all of Tony’s dirt. It annoyed James, _a lot_ , and he found himself lashing out at Tony as a result. Just because his parents let him get away with everything didn’t mean James would allow that in their friendship as well.

_“You need to loosen up Rhodey. You never like to have any fun.”_

_“That’s because the kind of fun you like to have is illegal.”_

_“So? That makes it even more exciting.” Tony smirked._

_“You’re going to get yourself killed one of these days Tony.”_

_“We’re all going to meet our demise one day, one way or another. At least when I finally meet mine, I’ll be having the time of my life.”_

_James couldn’t believe how jaded Tony sounded in that moment._

_“Tony, you’re 14-years old! How could you say something like that?”_

_“How many times are you going to remind me of my age?” Tony rolled his eyes. “I swear my own father doesn’t act as overbearing as you do sometimes.”_

_“That’s the problem.” James sneered._

_That’s when Tony dropped what he was working on (a robot or something, James was never sure because Tony was always working on something) and slammed his hands down onto the coffee table with an anger and rage that nearly startled James. He couldn’t believe all of that rage was stored in such a small body._

_“What the fuck do you want from me James?! Do you want to be my friend or my fucking father? Because I have a fucking father already. I don’t need another.”_

_James stared at Tony who now stood before him, a few noticeable inches shorter than him, breathing heavily, eyes wide and maniac looking._

_James shook his head and took a step back._

_“I’m not even sure I even want to be you’re friend anymore. Not with the way you’ve been acting like a spoiled brat.”_

_“I always act like this.” Tony scoffed, quite arrogantly._

_“You really think this little bad boy act is funny or endearing and it’s not. It’s only going to drive the people that truly care about you away. You don’t have anyone in your life that cares about you enough or is a decent enough person to tell it to you straight. You’re heading down a path of destruction if you continue with this behavior.”_

_Tony stared at James, with those big, round hazel eyes of his, and they searched James’ for something, James didn’t know exactly what it was, but before he could utter out another word; Tony was leaning up on his tippy toes and crashing his lips onto his._

_James gasped and immediately pushed Tony away, perhaps with a lot more force than James had intended, that sent the kid falling to the floor with an audible thump._

_“Tony!”_

_Tony stared up at him wordlessly with a blank expression and James left the condo without another word._

James didn’t speak to Tony for a while after that. Tony didn’t seem to be changing much of his behavior after that so James supposed it was for the best. He was tired of trying to steer Tony in the right direction, offering him help and guidance. If Tony didn’t want help then there was nothing James could do but hope that Tony would get his act together and _soon_.

* * *

The next time James had any form of communication from Tony is when he was sent an invitation to Tony’s 15th birthday bash.

James did entertain the thought of attending even though he was hesitant. Tony’s birthday bash was all the rage around campus and everyone talked about it constantly, even his own girlfriend at the time.

As time inched closer to Tony’s birthday bash, after weeks of agonizing over it, James decided he would go. He couldn’t lie, although his life was nice and drama free since he stopped hanging around Tony, he did miss the little guy, no matter how annoying he could be. Besides, a part of him _did_ want to see how Tony was doing since he’d last seen him.

_“Rhodey! Coco Puff! Long time no see!” Tony had called over to him over the blasting music as he approached. James wasn’t even sure how the hell Tony had spotted him out of the crowded bodies of drunken college kids. The lights were dimmed with the exception of the disco lights above flashing about. “How’ve you been old friend?”_

_“Good, really good, how ‘bout you?” James smiled, despite the clench of apprehensiveness at the sight of Tony already tipsy._

_“Not so good, not since you rejected me and stopped being the only good friend I had left.” Tony rambled on as he wrapped one of his arms around James’s neck and leaned into him. “I’ve missed you.”_

_Just then, James felt a nudge to his side and he turned his head to see his girlfriend eyeing him with an expectant look._

_James cleared his throat._

_“Tony, I would like you to meet someone.” James reached for her hand and pulled her in close to him. “I would like you to meet my girlfriend Kelsey Miller. Kels, this is Tony Stark.”_

_“So you’re the reason my Rhodey hasn’t returned any of my phone calls. You’ve been distracting him, haven’t you?”_

_Kelsey giggled, almost excessively so, and blushed as she leaned into James._

_“Not at all! I had no idea you two were friends. James never told me that.”_

_“Platypus, are you ashamed of me?” Tony teases, turning to look at him, though James could sense an undertone to his words that didn’t seem all that playful in nature._

It wasn’t long before someone had pulled Tony away from them. The party was _wild_. James had attended his fair share of wild raves, especially since leaving the nest, but _this_ was different and much crazier than what James had been used to.

James tried to enjoy himself - Kelsey certainly was - taking numerous shots to the head and dancing with different guys while James hung back. Usually, he would’ve been upset at the fact that his girlfriend was getting as drunk as a skunk and grinding up on random guys throughout the night, but James’s mind was somewhere else and he found his eyes always searching for Tony.

Tony was all over the damn place, getting shitfaced drunk, and making out with random people. James wanted to do something about what he was witnessing so bad, but for some reason, he held back. Tony wasn’t his responsibility and if this was how he wanted to act, that was not his problem.

But, James was _still_ worried. It was in his nature to worry about the people he cared about, _especially_ if they were involving themselves in unsavory behavior that could potentially lead to their own demise like Tony was.

James downed a couple glasses of alcohol himself to calm his jittery nerves. Perhaps, he was overreacting? Tony was doing what lots of kids their age did, especially without the supervision of their parents. What was the big deal? Why was James so bothered and unnerved?

_“James!” He turns his head and finds Kelsey stumbling over to him with a drunken smile on her pretty brown face. “Baby, you’re missing out on all the fun just standing here all night. Come dance with me please?”_

_And he does. James spends the majority of the night dancing alongside Kelsey until their limbs grew tired and they were left a sweaty, giggling mess as a result._

_“What time is it?” James asks her, slightly shouting over the loud music as they make their way over to the refreshments._

_“A little after ten.” Kelsey calls back._

_“I wonder when they’re going to sing happy birthday. It’s getting kinda late.”_

_James gazed around in the crowd of bodies for Tony, but oddly enough, he was nowhere to be found._

_“Where’s Tony?”_

_“Who knows, probably somewhere getting his dick wet.” Kelsey laughs shaking her head, taking a sip from her alcoholic beverage. “We all know how he likes to get down.”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_

_“Like you don’t know,” Kelsey scoffs._

_James frowns at that, but Kelsey doesn’t bother to elaborate as she downs the rest of her drink. James shook his head and sighed, deciding to let it go for now._

_“I’m going to look for him. I’ll be back okay?”_

_Kelsey waved him off and James sighed, running his hands through his short black curls. He searched everywhere and Tony was nowhere to be found. James decided to try the second floor before he started to allow his emotions to get the best of him with conjuring up the worst-case scenarios._

_James checked all of the rooms and Tony occupied none of them. Or, at least James thought so, until he had finally arrived at the last room on the second floor. As if the loud, obscene noises on the other side weren’t enough to deter him, it’s what he would find on the other side as he decides to open the door anyway that nearly takes his breath away._

_It was the sight of Tony, engaging in a threesome with two other men. Tony was in the middle, on all fours, delivering a blowjob while simultaneously getting fucked from the back by a man standing directly behind him._

_James had felt like he’d gotten the wind knocked out of him and didn’t realize how long he’d been staring until one of the men shouted at him._

_“Hey! This ain’t a peep show! Get the fuck out!”_

_James didn’t have to be told twice before slamming the door shut and bolting. He could’ve sworn he heard Tony’s voice, calling him back. James wasn’t sure if it was his mind playing tricks on him or if that really was Tony not that far behind, chasing after him as he struggled to pull his jeans all the way up his lower half._

_“Rhodey, baby, wait! I can explain!”_

_“I’m not you’re baby Tony!” James whips around so quickly he almost feels dizzy and slightly nauseous._

_“No, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Don’t go. Don’t leave me.”_

_“Get off of me Tony. You’re drunk.”_

_“You’re jealous, aren’t you? I knew you wanted me, had feelings for me...”_

_“Get off of me Tony!”_

_“But it’s my birthday, Rhodey. When ya gonna gift me with my present?”_

_James pushes Tony away, but it’s of no use. Tony pushes him against the wall in the hallway, hard enough to cause vertigo, and takes him by the wrists and pins them against his chest as one of Tony’s other hands slither down his body to grope him through his jeans._

_“Tony, stop!”_

_“I can’t stop Rhodey, I want you so badly.” Tony presses his half-naked body against James, even as James squirms, and Tony groans in response. “You’re already so hard for me. Did seeing me get bent over and fucked senselessly turn you on?” Tony smirks, leaning in to press a sloppy kiss to the side of his mouth. “You liked watching me get pounded, Platypus?”_

_James gathered up enough strength in his intoxicated state to push Tony off of him, with a force that sends Tony crashing into the wall behind him with an audible thunk._

_Tony didn’t even appear perturbed by James’ reaction at all, which was quite frightening to him. In fact, it seems to galvanize Tony, excite him, arouse him even._

_“I never want to see you again, Tony. I hate you.”_

_James flees before Tony could even think about moving again, before he could utter another word. James didn’t care what Tony had to say at that point. He needed to get the hell out of there and fast._

_He bolted down the stairs and pushed past the thick crowds of warm bodies, heading for the door. He didn’t even try to find Kelsey. He didn’t care about her, didn’t care about Tony, didn’t care about any of it anymore._

_As soon as James made it out onto the street - the cold brisk air hitting him like a ton a bricks, quite a contrast from the warmth he felt just seconds ago from the alcohol and crowded bodies - he vomited in the bushes nearby, and returned to his dorm._

* * *

James cooped himself up in his dorm room for weeks after that party, with the exception of attending classes, James didn’t go out much, at least not as often as he used to. Kelsey had tried to stop by his dorm numerous times, but he didn’t feel like talking to anyone. Eventually, she must’ve gotten the hint because he’d seen her out on campus one day after class making out with another guy. She snarled at him when she’d spotted him and James wishes he could feel bad about ghosting her in the way that he did. He didn’t mean to, it’s just... his life sorta fell apart after that party and he didn’t have the energy to keep up the ruse that he was fine, when in reality, he wasn’t.

James couldn’t believe Tony had acted that way, did that to him. What the hell was he thinking? James had known by now that Tony had a bit of a crush on him, but he never thought Tony would take it that far, come onto him so forcefully and aggressively. Of course Tony’s reckless behavior was more than likely exacerbated by the alcohol and whatever else Tony was on that night, but it was still a fucked up thing to do. 

Tony had sent him several “I’m Sorry” gift baskets, cards and dozens of bouquet of flowers of different varieties, even sent him lump-sum’s of cash and all it did was push James further away. He threw all of the cards, flowers and gift baskets away or gave it away and he sent back the money. Throwing money at him wasn’t going to make up for what Tony did and it was offensive to James for Tony to think that was all it took to get him back in his good graces.

Their friendship was already on the rocks and this incident only made it worse, along with his attitude of thinking money would solve everything. It felt cheap and inconsiderate.

And if things couldn’t get any worse, Tony had finally dropped by one afternoon; three weeks later, when James’s roommate was out. James didn’t answer at first, even after the knocking persisted. 

There was a brief silence that followed after the knocking stopped, before eventually, the door pushed open and Tony entered.

_“What the hell?! How’d you get in here?!”_

_“I made a key... Is that weird to you?”_

_“Yes! That’s weird!” James shrieks, snatching the key out of Tony’s hands. “And illegal!”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“Are you really Tony? Because you don’t act like it.”_

_“I’ve been trying to get in contact with you since that night. Where have you been?”_

_“Not that it’s any of your business, but I haven’t been out much since that night. I haven’t been feeling like myself for a while...”_

_“...Are you still with that girl? Kelly, is it?”_

_“Her name was Kelsey and no, I’m not. It didn’t work out.”_

_“Good.”_

_“Why is that?” James frowns, folding his arms against his chest._

_“Because I fucked her.” Tony reveals with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “It was a while back at some party. The only reason I recognized her is because she had one of the most annoying laughs I’ve ever heard in my life. I swear I wanted to strangle her.” He chuckles._

_James stares at the other boy blankly._

_“Is this supposed to make me feel better? Because you’re doing a shitty job.”_

_“I’m sorry Rhodey. I had no right to take things that far. I was drunk and high and I know that’s no excuse but...” he sighs. “You looked so good and I wanted you so badly... I still want you.”_

_“Tony-”_

_“When I have sex, no matter who it’s with, all I can think about is you. You’re all I can ever think about, ever since I met you. No one’s ever made me feel that way, so I guess I let my emotions get the best of me because of it. You’re a good person, Rhodey. I don’t want to lose you. I want you in my life.”_

_James stared at Tony, for a long moment that probably felt like eternity from Tony’s prospective, but in reality, only a couple of minutes._

_“I don’t know Tony. You really fucked me up. I’m not sure things will ever be the same between us.”_

_“I just want you back in my life Rhodey. That’s all I want.”_

_“I need time Tony, and I need space.”_

_“Whatever you want, whatever you need Rhodey, I’ll give it to you.”_

_Tony’s eyes are earnest and James can’t help but believe him._

They don’t speak after that, for a long while and James is glad Tony seems to at least keep his word by giving him the space and time he needed to heal.

* * *

Several months had gone by and James had just gotten back to the swing of things in his life before the unexpected happened.

James had just gotten back from a coffee date with a girl he shared classes with earlier that morning when he’d heard the news of Tony’s parents passing in a tragic car accident the night before on their way back home from a dinner date.

James had initially feared that Tony had been in the accident with his parents and fled to the nearest payphone and dialed his number with shaky fingers.

Although he’d been upset with Tony, that didn’t mean he wanted him to die, even if Tony did make him feel like shit by what he’d done to him all those months back at his birthday party. James had wanted him to suffer for what he did, no doubt, wanted to punish Tony with his absence, lack of communication and physical contact that he knew Tony had desperately desired, but James did not want something as permanent as death for Tony. James wasn’t that cruel.

_“Hello?”_

_“Tony! Thank God you answered! It’s me Rhodey. Are you okay?!”_

_“Rhodey, is that really you? I’ve missed the sound of your voice.” Tony coos over the line._

_“Yeah, I...I heard about what happened to your parents and I thought... I thought you might’ve...”_

_James couldn’t even get the words out. The thought of Tony dying in a tragic accident pained him so much he could barely form words. A lump formed in his throat as he leaned against the payphone, briefly closing his eyes and swallowing thickly._

_“Oh, Platypus, were you worried for me?”_

_“Yes,” James chokes out, trying not to sound as anguished as he felt inside, even if he knew he was failing miserably. He cleared his throat and rubbed at his eyes. “...Are you okay?”_

_“I’ll be a lot better if you came over.”_

_“Okay,” James relents, shoulders slumping as he nods. “Okay... where are you?”_

Now, looking back, James can admit that Tony did not, in the least bit, behave like someone that had just lost both their parents in a tragic car accident. Tony appeared way too chipper and... _calm_ for James’s taste. He tried not to judge though, figuring everyone did in fact grieve quite differently and not everyone was going to be a weeping and inconsolable mess while grieving. James figured that perhaps the death of his parents hadn’t sunken in yet. 

But then, Tony had revealed something to him that James had found quite chilling and dare he say... _sadistic_.

_It had only been a week after the funeral and James found himself in the kitchen of Tony’s condo, making him a sandwich. Tony had just finished getting dressed after a shower. James had tried not to flinch away when Tony came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and planting a kiss to his cheek. Instead, James bit his tongue and forced himself to smile at Tony as he retired in the living room, cutting on the television._

_“Bon appétit!” James smiles, handing the plate over to Tony who clapped his hands together excitedly, in a similar way a toddler would after being rewarded with a treat._

_“This looks delicious Platypus, thank you!”_

_They sat in silence as Tony ate his food and James focused on the television screen as best as he could. He could feel Tony’s eyes on him the entire time. James took a chance and side glanced Tony and their eyes locked. Tony smiled and James chuckled, shaking his head, but saying nothing about it._

_When Tony had finished his food, he set the plate down on the coffee table. When James reached to take it, Tony had placed a hand on his wrist, stopping him._

_“It’s okay.”_

_James nods and leans back against the leather sofa. Tony inched closer towards him, a little too close for James’s comfort, and finally, Tony spoke again._

_“Can I rest my head on you’re lap?”_

_“Sure,” he agrees, forcing another smile, despite his apprehension._

_Tony grinned and stretched his legs out across the sofa and rested his head in James’s lap, almost purring like a cat as James dropped a hand in his damp, wavy locks and began stroking his hair, just to give him something to do as Tony sighed contentedly._

_“I’m so glad you’re here Rhodey. You make so happy... you have no idea.”_

_James smiled down at Tony as he nudges him with his elbow._

_“Of course I would be here for you Tones. We’re friends aren’t we?”_

_Tony visibly grimaces and James decides not to comment on it. Instead, he ignores it and begins refocusing his attention back on the television screen before Tony speaks again, drawing James’s attention yet again._

_“...Rhodey?”_

_“Mmhm?”_

_“...This might sound horrible, but... I’m not sorry my parents are dead.”_

_James freezes, not even sure he’d heard Tony correctly. Did he just say what he think he said?_

_“...What?”_

_“I mean,” Tony sighs, flipping onto his back to gaze up at him thoughtfully. “...I mean I hated my parents Rhodey. So much. It’s why I refused to speak at the funeral. I couldn’t lie up there for them. They weren’t all of those great things people said about them. They were the opposite. They were horrible parents, Rhodey. They were so horrible to me.” Tony shakes his head and looks at James as he continues. “You know, when I was growing up, I used to wish on every birthday that they would die in some horrific way so that I wouldn’t have them as parents anymore. Sometimes, I wished I would die. Either one would’ve sufficed for me; but... in the end, I’m glad it was them.”_

James didn’t truly know how to respond to something like that. A sentiment so dark, sadistic and spiteful. Of course, in James’ opinion, Tony’s parents let Tony get away with _way_ too much shit, but that didn’t mean they deserved to die. They might’ve not been the best parents, but wishing death on them was on a whole other level for James. There were plenty of times he found his own parents annoying, overbearing, overprotective and borderline on helicopter parenting, but never, in all his years, did he _ever_ , wish death on his parents. He loved them too much to ever do such a thing, no matter how upset they sometimes made him.

It unsettled James that Tony thought this sentiment was okay. Maybe James was being way too sensitive or maybe he didn’t understand what it was like to grow up with parents who didn’t give a damn about you outside of image purposes. But either way, that day was the day a seed was planted within James. A seed of uncertainty, of fear perhaps, of worry and concern for Tony.

James could never shake the feeling that something was amiss with Tony. James could never figure out _what_ it was, but it was _something_ , and whatever that _something_ was, scared James to death. And _that_ was a feat in and of itself, because James didn’t fear much, except God, spiders, and whatever that disturbing thing was that was festering within Tony.

* * *

James had began living with Tony a year after the death of his parents. It wasn’t intentional, at least not on his part, but moreso because he was over at Tony’s condo most of the time now.

Tony acted like he would fall apart if James wasn’t there to piece him back together. At first, it was the little things, like being unable to pull himself out of bed without James being there to wake him, or his inability to sleep without James being by his side.

Of course, the whole two and a half years after Tony’s parents died, James was at his beck and call, with no questions asked. He felt bad for Tony and as his friend, he felt obligated to be there for him in the most trying time in his life.

It was obvious how much Tony reveled in James’s undivided attention, relished in it, adored it and acted like he couldn’t live _one_ moment without being the center of James’s life. 

James could admit that, in the beginning, Tony’s clingyness was adorable and somewhat flattering.

But then, it started becoming... _too_ much.

James quickly began to catch on to the games Tony liked to play to keep him around as often as possible. He couldn’t use the death of his parents as a bargaining chip anymore, so he started doing... _other_ things to keep his attention, like pretending to have anxiety and depression, lying about being sick and in pain, faking illnesses and such.

It got worse when James brought any girl around or attempted to have any semblance of a love life outside of Tony. Tony was absolutely _relentless_ in his obvious attempts to scare the girls off. Tony took extreme measures and began self-harming, cutting his wrists, stomach and thighs, just because he knew James would come running to his rescue, because that was the kind of person James was by nature and one could never go against nature, no matter how hard they tried to.

Tony even went as far as cross dressing, going out and buying the exact same outfits his date’s would wear and Tony would prance around the condo with those skintight dresses on. He looked absolutely ridiculous. James can recall laughing at him once. James could not recall seeing Tony so angry before. His face had turned a disturbing shade of red and James could make out the color of the varicose veins popping out from his neck and forehead.

_“I go through so much trouble to look nice and pretty for you and this is the thanks I get? You laughing at me like I’m a fucking joke!”_

_“Tony, will you calm down? It’s not that serious. I only laughed because-”_

_“But you never laughed when they wore it. You loved it on them, but you laugh at me like I’m hideous!”_

_“That’s because it looked sexy on them. On you, it looks ridiculous.” James answers honestly, maybe a bit too honest for Tony._

_Tony backhanded him, hard, right across the face. It sent James crashing to the floor._

_“You ungrateful bastard!” Tony spat, taking the opportunity to kick him in his side with the red heeled pumps he donned that would surely leave behind a bruise._

_Tony turned around and left. James could hear the clicking of his heels in the distance and a bedroom door slam shut and all James could wonder was how the hell it got to this point._

* * *

Of course, not long after that incident; Tony was begging for his forgiveness, for his love and affection, because after that, James had given him the cold shoulder.

_“It’ll never happen again Platypus. I loss my temper. I just... when it comes to you, I get so passionate about wanting to please you and make you happy, it can drive me a little nuts.” He chuckles, reaching a hand out and brushing it against the side of James’s face, the side that wasn’t swelling, to which he flinches away. “...I’ll do better honey. I promise.”_

But, Tony never did better after that, he only became worse. He became an absolute tyrant and a monster, _especially_ when he began dabbling in different types of drugs. James could never be sure what exactly Tony was on because he was doing so many, but he knew for sure that Tony was doing coke and mixing it with alcohol and opioids. 

Things had taken a drastic downward spiral after that. Their friendship becoming increasingly toxic, unhealthy and co-dependent. It not only became toxic between them, but abusive - physically, emotionally, psychologically and eventually, sexually.

James should have known better than to continue sticking around. He knew that at this point, they were not good for each other. Tony was not good for _him_. But damn did he have a way with words that somehow, someway had James disregarding his own morale and going against everything he’d ever been taught.

Tony was persuasive, charming and manipulative. He beat James to a pulp once, so badly, James had to miss a whole week of school. And then, he had a way of twisting things, twisting James’s words into meaning something it never did. And somehow, it was always James’s fault why he drove Tony to hit him. It was James’s fault why Tony was so hooked on opioids because he wouldn’t be with him in the way Tony desired. James wasn’t a good enough friend...

All of it began to take a toll on James’s mental health, even his family back home noticed when he’d visited them for winter break. They thought it had to do with him stressing over exams, but it was because of Tony, who James had taken with him because of course he felt shitty about leaving Tony all by himself during the holidays.

James had often felt smothered by Tony, unable to breathe. Tony had taken up so much space in his life that James was unable to maintain his other friendships. James and Tony were together so often, people thought something was going on between them. James had no doubt in his mind that Tony helped fuel these rumors - rumors that James was gay and that Tony was his lover - so that girls on campus wouldn’t go out with James anymore.

The crazy part was that James had put up with all of it, because he loved Tony, cared about him deeply, even if he could be so mean, so hurtful and so abusive. James stupidly believed Tony would get better, that he would change, that James, somehow, could change him and make him a better person than he actually was.

But, that was impossible, because you can’t change a person who doesn’t want to change, doesn’t want to be better, not only for their own sake, but for others around them.

James, unfortunately, would learn this the hard way. And that final straw for him had been after he’d discovered how obsessive, how psychotic, and mentally unstable Tony truly was. Tony had something going on with him far more complex than James was equipped to deal with.

James had come to the conclusion that Tony was beyond saving after he’d discovered the sex tapes and the x-rated photos of him in Tony’s workplace at his condo. James had stumbled across the paraphernalia while cleaning around the area. James had discovered various candid photos of himself, doing a variety of things - such as cleaning, reading, studying, watching television, cooking. And then the photos had gotten more... _graphic_.

James’s heart felt like it skipped a beat as he stared at the Polaroids of him having sex with different girls he used to date, of him masturbating, of him urinating, of him _completely_ naked.

Had Tony taken these photos of him? 

And then when James got to the tapes labeled “Daddy’s Souvenirs,” James had already felt nauseous just by the title alone at what potentially awaited him and it was worse than he could’ve ever imagined.

After making sure that the coast was clear and that Tony’s car was nowhere near, James had popped in one of the tapes and his heart dropped at the sight of himself, sprawled out on what appeared to be Tony’s bed in Tony’s room - unconscious and naked - with Tony, equally as naked, climbing on top of him, leaving kisses on every inch of his skin, humming in delight.

_“Your skin tastes so sweet Platypus.” Tony leans up to press a kiss to James’s lips. “Are you going to be a good little cock slut for your Daddy?”_

_Tony opened a bottle of lube and poured a generous amount onto his fingers, before lifting one of James’s legs up over his shoulder, and penetrating James with his finger._

_James didn’t even react, didn’t flinch, didn’t move. All James did was lie there as Tony did whatever he pleased with him._

James felt nauseous watching the footage. It nearly brought tears to his eyes to see himself in such a weak and helpless position and Tony...

Tony didn’t care one bit that he was unresponsive, that he was taking advantage of James, raping him, mercilessly.

James couldn’t believe what he was watching. He found himself switching out tapes with shaky fingers and watching himself lie unconscious underneath Tony numerous times as Tony slammed himself inside of him, unabashed in the way he fucked his unconscious body, even jerking him off in the process.

The tapes were disgusting and there was _so_ many of them...

Tony had been doing this to him since he’d decided to become a part-time roommate, drugging him, recording himself raping him...

James knew then that he needed to leave, he needed to get out now, because if he stayed and tried to confront Tony with this, he knew he would kill Tony, with his own bare hands.

And as tempting as that sounded, ultimately, James’ logical won out over his blood-lust and he proceeded to pack his things up as much as he could fit into his duffel bag with shaky breaths and equally shaky hands, shaking with anger, and James left this time, for good.


	2. The Rise of the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This final chapter is going to be a rough one, so before we get started, let me post one last disclaimer: this is going to be an extremely dark chapter dealing with a lot of controversial subject matters, so if you find that you are easily triggered; please heed to the tags and warnings for this story and proceed with caution and at your own discretion. Thank you in advance.
> 
> Once again, the texts in _italics _represent flashbacks of an event the narrator is referencing, in case anyone is confused.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind words and support from the last chapter!
> 
> Also, a [horror playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LCmPlaCKzoEIpj5SLNzGC) for this story has been created so feel free to check it out for the full, terrifying experience while reading. ;)

* * *

The silver lining James found in all of the misfortune that had taken place in the past three years of his life was that at least now, he would finally be graduating and starting a brand new life and leaving his old one behind that included Tony Stark.

The graduation ceremony took place in the wee hours of the early morning and consisted of hundreds of proud families and friends watching their loved ones reach the finish line, completing a significant chapter in their lives with the excitement and anticipation of what the future held next.

The Rhodes family were all accounted for in the throng of people seated in the auditorium; his mother and father, appearing the happiest James could ever recall seeing them, his older sister, smiling from ear to ear, his aunt and uncles cheering him on, cousins screaming their lungs out as they called out his name as he walked across the stage.

Honestly, it was one of the best days of his life. Seeing the people he loved most so happy and so proud of him was enough, if only temporarily, to take away the weariness that had seeped into his bones over the past three years. It made everything he had gone through, all of the blood, sweat and tears that his family would never know about, worth it. The day of his college graduation from M.I.T. was one he would never forget that even Tony wouldn’t be able to ruin, even when James was forced to sit through his speech as summa cum laude.

Two weeks had gone by since the last time James had spoken to Tony. James had been avoiding Tony while Tony had been trying to get in contact with him since. The closest he had gotten was during graduation rehearsals, but James, somehow, someway, was able to dodge and block any of Tony’s attempts at talking and interacting.

* * *

After graduation, James had ended up staying with his parents for a couple of months before moving out and getting a place of his own, in an entirely different state. His parents, especially his mother, was not happy about that. However, James had informed them both that it was because it was time for him to stand on his own two feet and explore what the world had to offer. 

In reality, James had been trying to fall off the radar for a bit. Tony had not stopped his attempts at trying to get in contact with him and James figured that if Tony didn’t know what state, city or area code he resided in, Tony would finally leave him be (wishful thinking he supposes).

James had never told anyone about what Tony had been doing to him, never told family or friends, never went to the police or reported Tony for the crime he committed against him, over and over again.

James, now looking back, regrets never doing so. James had been so engulfed with trying to numb the pain and move on with his life, that he did not want to go through the humiliating process of pressing charges against Tony or running the risk of ever seeing him again. James just wanted to finally begin his career in the Air Force; perhaps the pain and trauma of it all wouldn’t sting as badly once he was fully immersed in his career.

James had never spoken with Tony after that day he packed up and left. Tony had been trying, obsessively, to get in contact with James, even going as far as contacting his family for James’ whereabouts, but James had already told his family that he and Tony were no longer friends, so they never offered up any valuable information like Tony had probably expected them to. After a while though, it became borderline harassment.

James debated on whether he should get a restraining order against Tony because he _wouldn’t_ stop, even after James had gotten deployed to various locations across the states and even outside the country, Tony was always in the background.

James didn’t understand how Tony had known where he was, what states or countries he was in while deployed, and the only conclusion James could come to was that Tony was following him, stalking him. James wasn’t sure if it was Tony doing the stalking himself, or if he’d hired someone to do his dirty work.

James in turn became paranoid and he no longer felt safe, especially after Tony had sent him photos of James boarding air flights, on duty and flying. That was when his suspicions had been confirmed that Tony was indeed stalking him.

This behavior from Tony, the harassment and stalking, went on for _years_ , _so_ many years, and James did nothing about it, did nothing to stop it. James knows that he should’ve put an end to it instead of letting it go on for as long as it did. He tried once, when it became too much, requesting a restraining order against Tony, but because Tony had not posed a physical threat to James’s safety, there was nothing the police could do.

James was on his own, like always.

* * *

_“Platypus.”_

_James felt like as if his blood had ran cold at the sound of the voice he hadn’t heard in over fifteen years. It sent chills down his spine and his stomach churn in repugnance. Immediately, he sat his groceries down onto his counter top and began unloading each item, one by one. He didn’t want Tony to know how unnerved he truly was in that moment. He didn’t want to give the other man the satisfaction._

_“How’d you get this number?” James asks coolly._

_“It’s been seventeen years since we spoke Rhodey. I didn’t expect such a frigid response after all these years.”_

_“How’d you get this number, Tony?” James repeats._

_“You know I’ve always found a way of contacting you.” Tony smirks. “The only problem is, you never answer me when I call for you. It hurts my feelings when you don’t respond.”_

_James grits his teeth, hands unconsciously squeezing into fists, nearly destroying the whole wheat bread he bought in the process._

_“Tony,” he breathes out, already feeling his blood pressure rise. “If you haven’t gotten the message by now, you’re dead to me. Stay the fuck away from me. I don’t want shit from you so stop sending me shit, stop trying to contact me and if you call my phone again, I’m going to the police.”_

_“But you did that already Platypus.” Tony replies, seemingly unperturbed by his words and tone of voice, but amused. “Tell me baby, what good did that do you exactly?”_

_“Tony-”_

_“That woman you’ve been fucking with doesn’t seem like your type at all. I mean, what the fuck do you see in her? She’s busty sure and I know you’ve always had a weakness for women with big tits, but other than that, she’s definitely not anything special to look at. I’m prettier than her.”_

James throws his phone across the room and watches as it slams against the wall, shattering the screen instantly with an audible _crack_. James was hyperventilating. He felt like he couldn’t breath, like his airways were closing up. His eyes began to water as he sprinted out of the kitchen and into the nearest bathroom. He turned the faucet on and wet his face, gasping and breathing heavily as he gripped the sink to steady himself.

James closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face that was now dripping wet. He had to be stronger than this. He couldn’t allow Tony to get to him like this. It’s exactly what Tony wants, for James to be consumed by the thought of him and only him. James wouldn’t give Tony that satisfaction of allowing him to rule his entire life or dictate any aspect of it any longer.

* * *

Time had passed, days, weeks, months, years, and there had been silence. A quietness in James’s life that he had not experienced in quite some time. It was nice and for the first time in his life, he felt... at peace, safe and happy.

James had even began seeing a woman - a woman he found himself extremely fond of - who went by the name of Monica Rambeau. He’d met her while stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana, at a local diner where he’d been sipping on a Jack Daniels, attempting to wind down after a long, strenuous day of nonstop work.

The diner was pretty small and nondescript, situated not too far outside the city. He wasn’t in uniform given that he did not desire to draw attention to himself. He’d already been rendered annoyed by the few people that called themselves hitting on him, offering to buy him drinks, or show him a “good time” for his first night in the city (he had no idea how the _hell_ they knew he wasn’t from around there, but they did and it only drew more unnecessary attention when all he’d wanted was to relax and be left alone).

And that was the exact moment she appeared beside him, ordering hot coco.

It was her soft, feminine voice and thick New Orleanian accent that initially caught James’s attention. When he turned to look at her, James felt something inside him clench with excitement.

This woman was breathtakingly beautiful. She was tall, brown skin and had soft black locks of hair that fell to her shoulders, accentuating her heart shaped face and the hue of her almond eyes.

When she turned and smiled at him, his heart nearly skipped a beat.

_“You should take a picture sweetheart, it’ll last longer.”_

_James flushed at her remark, looking away quickly and gazing down into the clear brown liquid swirling around in his glass._

_“You’re not from around here, are you?”_

_James looks up at her and she’s now seated in the stool beside him._

_“How’d you know?”_

_“I can just tell,” she shrugs. “You carry yourself differently, so much so, you stick out like a sore thumb.”_

_They both share a laugh._

_“Well, that explains why everyone’s been staring at me all night like I grew another head.” James chuckles._

_She smiles._

_“So, where are you originally from?”_

_“Philadelphia,” he answers._

_“Oh? What brings you around these parts, if you don’t mind me asking?”_

_“Not at all,” he quickly replies. “I’m actually stationed down here for work.”_

_“Military? I should’ve guessed. You definitely fit the bill.”_

_“How so?” James asks, genuinely curious._

_Just then, the waiter returns with her hot coco to which she thanks with a polite smile, before turning back to him and shrugging her shoulders yet again as she reaches for a stir stick._

_“Well, you have great posture for one and you’re much more observant than the average person. I guess it’s mostly in you’re mannerisms. You all are alike in that aspect.”_

_“Is that so?” James smiles, amused._

_“Mmhm,” she nods, stirring her coco for a couple minutes before leaning down and taking a tentative sip. “Although, I can’t recall ever seeing one as handsome as you.”_

_And for the first time that night, James doesn’t feel annoyed or irritated by the attention, but delighted._

_“Well, I don’t think I’ve seen a woman as beautiful as you since I’ve been here.”_

_The woman blushes and James smiles, feeling something warm and fuzzy in his belly at the sight._

_“You mean to tell me a man like you doesn’t already have a sweetheart back home? I find that hard to believe.”_

_“I guess I haven’t had the best luck in connecting with the right woman yet... until now that is.” James smirks._

_“Hmm, so you’re not only good looking but charming as well? My mama always said that was a dangerous combination for a man to have.” She giggles, gazing up at him through dark, curly lashes with a sultry glint in her eyes. “It can get a woman in a world of trouble if she’s not careful.”_

_“Well, would you be willing to take a chance on me? Because I’m willing to take a chance on you, despite my own mother warning me about how lethal Southern women can be, especially to a man’s health.”_

_The woman laughs and James swears it’s the most beautiful laugh he’s ever heard on a woman._

_“Touché,” she smiles._

_And they spend the rest of night talking with hints of flirty, playful banter in between discussions of various topics. James didn’t realize how fast time had flew by until the owner informed the both of them that it was closing time._

_The woman, who he would later come to know as Monica, happily exchanged phone numbers with him after he’d walked her to her car._

James returned to his base that night with an extra pep in his step. Monica was the last person he thought about before falling asleep that night.

While James was stationed in New Orleans; he spent majority of his free time with Monica. She’d showed him around the city, took him to her favorite hang out spots and restaurants. Monica had even taken him to Jackson Square; a historic landmark that inhabited some of the most beautiful cultures of Louisiana that James had ever seen. It was beautiful and James could honestly say that he’d had the time of his life while stationed there and enjoyed Monica’s company even more. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d had so much fun, especially on a date.

When it was time for him to leave, it broke his heart to see Monica so sad to see him go. They spent only a week together, but it was the best week of his life and the feelings were mutual judging by the way Monica had kissed him goodbye.

James promised to stay in contact with her, calling her as often as he could and that, although he was leaving, he wouldn’t forget about her. And honestly, he knew would be unable to, even if he tried. Monica was just too memorable, too sweet and beautiful for a man like him to ever forget about, no matter how hard he tried. It was an impossible feat.

* * *

Although it wasn’t easy, James was able to maintain a long distance relationship with Monica. They called each other almost everyday, Skype’d, and wrote love letters to one another like lovesick teenagers.

As time went on, James discovered that he found comfort in Monica’s voice; her smile and her laugh. He looked forward to talking to her everyday, looked forward to seeing her, especially during his time off when he’d finally get to see her in person.

Monica seemed to get more and more beautiful every time he would see her. It was obvious to James that, although he and Monica had only been seeing each other for a total of six months, he was absolutely _smitten_ with her. James was in love and he made sure he told her that the next time they were together, over a candlelit dinner.

Monica had tears in her eyes and confessed her love for him. She admitted that she knew months ago that she was in love with him but because they hadn’t been going together that long, she didn’t want to run the risk of “scaring” him off, so she remained quiet about it.

James kissed her then and informed her that it was going to take _a lot_ more than the “L” word to scare him away.

That was also when James decided it was time to tell her of his secret - a secret he’d been carrying for most of his life that not even his family nor closest friends knew about. James was, of course, a nervous wreck, but he felt Monica deserved to know this part of him that no one else knew of, he _wanted_ her to know, because he loved her like he’s never loved anyone else, and he trusted her.

James cleared his throat as he began his story.

_“...Back in my first year of college, there was this boy, his name was Tony Stark. We were assigned as partners for some project that was worth a big percentage of our grade. He was really young, like 14-years old. I couldn’t wrap my head around someone being that young in college. It was crazy.” James chuckles and Monica smiles softly in response. “I’d always been one of those people that didn’t like to judge people based off gossip or rumors. I’d always been taught to give everyone an equal and fair shot, so realistically, Tony would be no different, despite the ugly rumors I’d heard about him...” James shook his head, regrettably. “...I now wish I would’ve listened, because if everyone is saying the same thing about a person, they can’t all be lying, right?”_

_James sighs exasperatedly as he continues._

_“Anyways, I’d found out early on that Tony was unlike anyone I’d ever met - and I mean that both positively and negatively - and it wasn’t because he was filthy rich or as smart as Albert Einstein, but because he was so... eccentric. I don’t know why, even to this day, I ignored my intuition and decided to befriend him anyway. I guess I... I felt bad for him and I felt, because he was so young, that I was obligated to look out for him because it was obvious no one else in his life cared enough to do it.”_

_James sighs once again._

_“I realize now that I had a savior complex back then and low self-esteem. I felt like I could... help Tony, steer him in the right direction and keep him in check. I mean, he was only 14-years old and was already drinking and cursing like a sailor, doing coke, and having sex. I thought; if he were my little brother or sister, I would want someone to at least try be a good friend to them. But what I didn’t realize until it was too late is that Tony needed more than just a good friend - a lot more...”_

_“James...” Monica whispers._

_He looks up at the almond eyes that gaze at him with such compassion and sincerity, it’s enough to urge him to continue, no matter how hard it is._

_“...I loved him Monica. I cared for him like a brother, like he was family. But Tony wanted more from me, more than I would ever be willing to give him.” James begins to fiddle with his clothing, mostly out of nervousness and because of the pain of rehashing everything he’d buried, or thought he’d buried in a deep dark place, never to be seen again. But yet, here he was..._

_“You see, Tony was bisexual, and he had made it abundantly clear that he wanted me from the beginning, but I told him I only had eyes for women. I was straight. But it was like he didn’t understand the word ‘no.’ I initially thought it was due to being spoiled. I mean, his parents literally let him get away with anything back then. Tony wasn’t disciplined at all. But anyways, I began to realize that it was more than simply being ‘spoiled’ especially after he tried to aggressively come onto me at his birthday party. I couldn’t believe Tony would try to force himself on me like that. I mean, I knew he liked me, but never did I once think he would hurt me like that.”_

_James scratches the back of his neck._

_“You know he tried to say it was because of the alcohol and whatever drugs he was on at the time, but even if that was the case, it was fucked up and seeing him act that way - drunk or not - scared me. I never told him that at the time, but it did and it also traumatized me.”_

_“James, my goodness,” Monica sympathizes with a soft glint in her eyes as she placed a hand on top of his._

_James squeezes her hand reassuringly._

_“...That wasn’t even the worst part. I hadn’t talked to him for a long while after that. I told him I needed space from him and he understood. I was slowly getting back to the way my life had been before that incident. And then I hear that Tony’s parents died in a tragic car accident on their way back from a dinner date. I was so scared that Tony had been in that car. It was like all of the ill feelings I had towards him had vanished. It’s crazy how death can manipulate your thoughts and emotions, even sense of logic.” He shakes his head, letting out a wry chuckle. “...I let Tony back into my life after that, because no one deserved to lose their own parents, especially at 15. I felt heartbroken for Tony and I promised myself that I would be there for my friend in his time of need, despite what he did to me, because no matter how bad he made me feel, he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”_

_James bites down on his lip, pausing for a moment before he continues._

_“...It wasn’t until Tony had divulged to me one day that he was glad that his parents were dead is when I began to wonder if Tony was... mentally stable. I knew he didn’t have the best relationship with his parents - he often said they neglected him among other things - but I still thought the fact that he was actually grateful that they were dead and that he had been praying for it to happen was odd and cold of him to say. It hadn’t been that long after their funeral either. I mean, perhaps it was his weird way of grieving, but based off of what I know now, I believe it was a peak into something very dark and sinister festering within Tony, a side of him that he allowed me to see that day. I should have ran for the hills then, but still, I gave Tony the benefit of the doubt, despite the red flags that something was amiss.”_

_James clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably in his seat._

_“...I began staying at Tony’s place after that, looking after him, because he would often act like he couldn’t brush his teeth or wash his face without my help. I realize now that Tony was manipulating me then, using the death of his parents to keep me close and when that wasn’t working anymore, he would do all kinds of crazy things to keep my attention, even going as far as physically harming himself - like purposely throwing himself down the stairs and “accidentally” break his ankle, or “accidentally” give himself 2nd degree burns while taking a bath. And I didn’t pick up on any of it until it became a pattern. Every time I went out on a date or brought around a girlfriend, these antics of his would start right back up. I didn’t think it was funny or cute at all. He was manipulating my emotions and taking advantage of my kindness because he was jealous?” James shook his head for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night. “But, I still stuck around, even after things had began to go down a toxic and abusive road. Tony began experimenting with different drugs and he behaved even worse because of it. He would hit me for no reason, verbally abuse me, and flip it around so that I was always to blame for why things got so bad between us.”_

_“And I lost so many good friends back then because of Tony, because I allowed him to rule my life and dictate who I could and couldn’t hang out with. Tony would get so possessive over me and obsess over what I was doing whenever I wasn’t with him. Now looking back on it, Tony was behaving like a jealous lover. He treated me more like a romantic partner than a platonic friend. He got way too upset over the smallest things and he would always have an answer for everything. I really thought I could change him, that if I tried hard enough with him, things would get better.” James shook his head, running a hand over his face. “And to this day, I still struggle with blaming myself for the way things turned out. All of it could’ve been prevented had I been smarter, stronger and stood up for myself a lot more than I did.”_

_“James,” Monica starts, giving him that all too familiar look that James had grown quite fond of. “You can’t blame yourself for the actions of Tony. You were young and had no idea the kind of person you were dealing with.”_

_Monica was right about that, but James still had difficulty coming to terms with the fact that he was a victim of someone far more sinister than he could have ever imagined at the time._

_“...I kept making excuses for his bad behavior until I came across something that truly showed me how Tony was beyond saving, how sick and twisted he really was. I had no clue Tony was capable of doing something wicked and despicable, despite everything. It blew my mind because I was not expecting to find what I did that day...”_

_James’ breath becomes slightly shaky and a lump forms in his throat as he can feel his heart practically beating through his clothes. He briefly closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing._

_“I...I stumbled across photos of me in his work desk one day while cleaning. Pictures of me doing all kinds of things that included naked photos that he had taken of me without my knowledge. But the worst of it was when I found the tapes... so many tapes ... and what I found on them had nearly made me vomit. Those tapes were of me, unconscious, while Tony was... he was...” James’ voice cracks and he looks down at his lap, feeling the familiar burn of tears forming at the corner of his eyes._

_“Oh my God!” Those were the only words Monica could manage to get out before James could not hold himself together anymore. It was like a flashback of that day, the vivid memories of Tony on top of him, desecrating him, over and over again while his own lifeless body lies underneath him. James remembers what a sad, pathetic sight he was in those tapes._

_“James, sweetheart, I am so sorry.” Monica moves in closer to him and pulls him in for a long hug. James buries his face into the crook of her neck and wept. He probably looked pathetic, but he couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t talked about this shit in years and doing so dredged up all of these emotions that he thought he abandoned long ago, but apparently not._

_“...Please tell me that sick bastard is rotting away in prison as we speak.” Monica speaks, several minutes after James finally calms down enough to form a coherent sentence._

_“Unfortunately no,” James sniffles. “...I never went to the authorities. I just packed up my things and left. I never spoke to him again after that. One thing I was glad about was the fact that all of that took place in our last year, right after exams, so I would never have to see Tony again. I graduated and began my career in the Air Force. He never stopped trying to contact me though and for a while, he began stalking me and having me followed. He would send me pictures of me doing my daily activities or when I was on duty. It was at that point that I did try to contact police to get a restraining order against him, but they said because Tony had not threatened my well-being or safety in any way, there was nothing they could do.”_

_“What a crock of shit.” Monica exclaims, visibly angry._

_“Yeah, you could imagine the kind of fear and anxiety-ridden life I lived for a long while. The last time I heard from him was over five years ago. He called me up out of the blue and I told him that he was dead to me and to never contact me again - and he hasn’t so far... I’m hoping it stays that way.”_

_“...I’m so sorry James. Hearing all of this makes me so upset. You didn’t deserve that... no one does...”_

_“You’re the only person I’ve told that to.”_

_Monica’s jaw drops at that._

_“Not even your family? Or close friends?”_

_“No,” James shakes his head. “I wanted you to know, no matter how hard it was for me, because I felt you deserved to know. I trust you Monica, and I love you, like I never loved any other woman.”_

_Monica’s eyes fill with tears and she leans in and presses a soft, tender kiss to his lips and holds him close to her smaller frame._

_“And I don’t think I ever loved anyone as much as I love you now. Thank you for being honest with me and for letting me in your heart. I know it wasn’t easy, but you did it anyway, for me, and I’ll always be grateful to you of that.”_

_James smiles, misty-eyed, and they share another tender kiss before embracing. James feels as if a weight had been lifted. He was afraid Monica might reject him, knowing what was done to him, but she didn’t and James couldn’t have been happier and grateful of Monica’s compassion and understanding. It went a long way for him and he knew that night that Monica was the one, and that she was the only woman he could ever picture spending the rest of his life with._

* * *

James and Monica wed on a beautiful, sunny Tuesday evening. It was a small and intimate wedding that consisted of their families and closest friends.

Monica had looked absolutely breathtaking and James could admit that he indeed shed a few tears of happiness, along with his mother and sister that day. 

James never thought he would ever find a woman as beautiful and smart as Monica, that he could love another being as much as he loved her. She made everything brighter in his life - less bleak and hopeless - but happier.

The honeymoon was even better. They decided on Hawaii. The scenery was gorgeous and the people were so kind and generous. 

_“I can’t believe we actually did it James! We’re married!”_

_“Do you regret it?”_

_“What kind of silly question is that you silly man. Of course not! I’m the luckiest woman on earth to be married to such a handsome, wonderful man. I couldn’t have asked for more.”_

_James’ heart fluttered at her words and he can’t help but roll on top of her and lean down to kiss her._

_“God I love you,” he breathes out once they pull away._

_“I love you more.” Monica grins, biting down on her lip, tantalizingly. “But do you know what I want you to do?”_

_“What’s that?” James smirks, planting kisses down her jaw._

_“Make love to me... again.”_

_James pulls away to gaze down at her and she’s staring up at him with those lustful almond eyes of hers, wetting her lips and smirking, and James does not need to be told twice._

“Platypus! Wake up, you’re drooling again.” A familiar voice reverberates in his ear, startling him awake.

James sits up quickly, groaning as he does so at the immediate vertigo he felt and slight ache at the side of his head.

“You were dreaming again weren’t you?” Tony smirks, leaning down to set a tray of delicious looking food down on the concrete floor. “Of me, I hope?”

With great horror and dread, James realizes that he _was_ dreaming and that he _wasn’t_ with his wife, but inside this small, cold, empty basement - at least that’s what it appeared to be to James.

It didn’t have any windows, only a small rusty looking twin sized bed that looked as if it’d seen better days pushed against the wall in the corner, a sink and a toilet. That was it. It always felt warm in the cramped room and mucky. James found that he was constantly sweating through the little clothing he did have on, which consisted of a white wife beater and nothing else.

James had no idea how long he had been here. James barely remembers how the hell he had ended up here in the first place. It was like a blur. One minute he’s checking his mail and the next moment, he’s waking up in _this_ place, wherever it was.

James could not decipher day from night and he tried staying awake for as along as he could, before his body demanded rest and he had no choice but to comply. Tony was feeding him of course and James was sure Tony was drugging him by way of the food. James, for as long as he could, did not eat or drink anything he had to offer, until he dropped significant amounts of weight and he became too weak to even move, that’s when Tony forced him to eat and he did, feeling too weak to fight back.

“How’re you feeling honey?”

“Fuck you.”

“Is that any way to speak to the one that’s been taking care of you? Feeding you? Loving you? Do you speak to Monica that way?”

James glares up at the figure standing above him, gritting his teeth with unadulterated rancor.

“Keep her fucking name out your filthy mouth, you sick, disgusting bastard.”

And then came the stinging of Tony’s hand colliding with his face, silencing him almost immediately.

“You speak to me like that again, I will break your fucking neck Rhodey, I swear.”

“Do it.” James spat back venomously, despite the aching on the side of his face where Tony’s hand had previously been.

“Don’t tempt me, Rhodey. Don’t fucking tempt me.” Tony growls, moving away from standing over him and making his way over to the door. “Now, when I come back, that plate better be empty.”

Tony gives him a pointed look before he’s gone with an audible slam of the door, loud enough to ignite a headache.

James, tentatively, crawls over to where the tray sat and reached a shaky hand out for a singular strawberry.

As soon as James has one, he has another, and another, and it’s almost as if his appetite comes back within seconds, and he’s demolishing the strawberries, grapes, toast and hash browns like they would disappear any second.

When he’s finished, he moves away from the tray and crawls back onto the small, creaky bed that he was handcuffed to and passes out.

* * *

“Ah... ah...”

James awakens, unsure of how long he’s been out for, but long enough to have not realized what was happening to him in that moment.

James tries to move, but there’s pressure on his back, he tries to move his hands but they’re both handcuffed. James is also utterly naked and his wife beater is nowhere to be found, even though it barely covered up much, it did provide him a sense of comfort, no matter how small.

“Oh God Rhodey,” Tony groans from behind him, slamming his hips into his vigorously. “You feel so good... taking my cock so well, just like back in our college days.”

“N-No,” is all he could manage to get out in between the sounds of the wooden bed squeaking, the headboard knocking against the wall almost violently as Tony’s grunts and labored breaths fill the small room, as well as the disturbing sound of naked flesh meeting and parting - _his_ flesh and Tony’s flesh.

“Wanted you for so long,” Tony moans and James can feel the cool pads of his fingers pressing into his spine. “...You’re mine Rhodey, _all_ mine, you hear me?”

When James doesn’t answer, Tony slaps his thigh, _hard_ , making a disturbing cracking sound that had James yelping in response.

“I know you hear me Rhodey! Answer me.”

When James still offers up no response, it angers Tony, and James finds himself whining into the pillow he’s buried his face into as Tony digs his short blunt nails deeply into the skin of his back, deep enough to possibly draw blood. He probably did.

“Answer me dammit!” Tony shouts, so loud it feels like he was right by his ear, voice dripping in lust, anger and despair.

James never answers him, despite the stinging he feels from his skin being practically sliced up by Tony’s nails and something wet subsequently dripping down his sides.

Tony leans over him, so close, James could feel Tony’s hairy chest on his back. Tony slides both arms over James’ and leans down to run a wet tongue along the nape of his neck as he grunts loudly in his ear.

“...I love you Rhodey...” Tony groans, leaning down and nibbling on his earlobe as he thrusts his cock inside him with long, powerful strokes.

Tony then begins to stimulate his prostate and through the pain are sparks of pleasure and James presses his face deep into the pillow until it feels like he will suffocate and he moans, hoping Tony will not hear him. He would rather suffocate than give Tony any sort of confirmation that he was enjoying this, no matter how small. And he wasn’t, he _really_ wasn’t, but Tony’s cock, with every thrust, no matter how harsh or painful it was, brushed against the ultra sensitive spot buried deep inside him and he _hated_ it. James could feel his own flesh slowly swell underneath him as it pressed against his belly and the mattress beneath him.

“...Daddy making you feel good, baby? Don’t try to hide your pleasure from me. I wanna hear it.”

The rhythm of Tony’s hips slow, if only a little, and his thrusts became a little less rough and violent, but forbearing and powerful enough to leave James a shaking, weeping mess as Tony rocks into him, sucking wet kisses into his skin that was coated in perspiration.

James twisted his head around for air and Tony takes the opportunity to kiss him. It took everything in James not to bite his tongue off until it bled, but James knew better. If he wanted to get out of here, he needed to play his cards right and gain Tony’s trust.

“Tell Daddy how much you love it.” Tony growls in his ear.

“I...I love it,” James gasps.

“Say it the right way baby. You know what I wanna hear.”

James could feel what felt like bile rush up his esophagus as he utters the words that he knew Tony wanted to hear, if only so he would cum already and James could finally be left alone. He preferred that over _this_.

“...I love it Daddy, l-I love _so_ much...”

Tony gasps in response, digging his nails into James’ forearms and leans down to nip at the skin of his neck. James could tell Tony was close by the sounds he made and the speed of his thrusts.

“Oh fuck,” Tony moans. “...S-Say it again for me baby.”

James decides to amp it up a notch.

“Please cum Daddy, I want it.” He utters out in a tone he knew would drive Tony mad.

And it does, no matter how filthy James felt thereafter, it grants him what he wanted, which was for Tony to cum and he does with an audible cry.

James thought it was over and that Tony would leave him be, but he doesn’t. Instead, Tony rests his sweaty body atop of his, not even bothering to withdraw himself from his hole that gushed with Tony’s cum oozing out of it and reaching a hand down and squeezing it between the tight, fitted space and grasps hold of his half erect cock and begins pumping earnestly.

James wants to tell Tony to stop, to push him off and and crack his skull, but he can’t - at least not right now.

Instead, James wills himself to cum, to quicken this process so that Tony could leave.

Tony leans down and nibbles at his shoulder blade and James could feel his warm breaths on his skin and it sends unpleasant shivers down his spine.

“...Cum for Daddy, that’s all I want...” Tony whispers.

James thinks of Monica in that moment, thinks about the last time he seen her naked body, bouncing on top of him as she rode his cock. The sight of her round breasts, brown nipples and the look of pure ecstasy on her face as she came with a tilt of her head and cry of pleasure that James could never forget.

“... _Oh_ , there we are...” Tony coos as James spills into his hand in thick, powerful bursts of his semen. “...Fuck.”

James passes out after that.

* * *

James awakens again - in absolute pain; his back is sore and his... his asshole feels like it’s on fire.

It takes him less than a second for James to realize Tony is behind him, pressing a warm wet cloth to his back, presumably to aid in the pain of the torn flesh of his back.

James also realizes that he’s still naked with both hands handcuffed to the bed. His wrists ache and his body feels tense from being in the same position for who knows how long.

“...The pain should subside soon. I already gave you painkillers for the pain I knew you would be in.”

James could hear the sound of water splashing and he turns his head to see a bucket of water and the color was a shade of pale pink.

...Was that _his_ blood?

“You have to understand why I do this to you Rhodey, why I _had_ to kidnap you. It was the only way you would be mine forever. You refused to come to me willingly, so I had to get you to come to me instead.”

James could not even respond at this point, he was in too much pain to, all he did was lie there as Tony wrung the towel into the large bucket of water. 

“I spent many years devising this plan. It’s why you didn’t hear from me for so fucking long. I had to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible.”

Tony runs the warm cloth against his bruised skin full of open wounds and James flinches, whimpering in response.

“I met this woman in the process, her name was Pepper Potts. I hired her as my assistant and as you can imagine, things got pretty hot and heavy between us. I can admit that at one point, I think I did love her, but not nearly as much as you. I can’t be my true self around her the way I can around you. Pepper would _never_ be able to handle all of my crazy the way you have for all these years. I was going to end things with her once I finished perfecting my plan, but then she tells me she’s pregnant and it’s a _fucking_ girl - can you believe that? She didn’t even consult me about it, instead, she began rattling off baby names - she wanted to name her Morgan or something like that - and proceeds to plan this entire future with me around this fucking _fetus_ that’s not even here yet and will never be... ya know why?” 

James could hear Tony smirk from behind him and he doesn’t even wait for an answer, not that James was going to provide it anyway.

“Not only did I end things with her clingy ass for being so fucking selfish and inconsiderate, but I put a specific substance in her drink that will induce a miscarriage.” Tony laughs, like it was the funniest thing ever. “Fucking bitch. It will serve her right. Maybe next time she will think twice about trying to trap a man with a baby. And as a matter of fact; I’m not even a 100% sure that little shit was mine anyway.”

Tony wrings out the towel yet again, but this time, he opens up what sounds like a bottle or tube of something and begins applying an ointment (or what James assumes it is) that felt warm against his skin, but slightly stung against his wounds.

“...I did _all_ of this for you Rhodey, for _us_. I sacrificed _so_ much to be right here, in this moment, with you. I even fucked with the breaks on my parents car so they would crash and I would get all of your attention. I slept with half the student body back in college simply to make you jealous, I put drugs in your food and drinks so I could have sex with you whenever I wanted since you made it _abundantly_ clear you weren’t gonna give it up to me freely. I manipulated you into doing whatever I wanted, which included icing out all of your other friends and had you wearing yourself thin, _just_ for me. I went through so much to get you to be mine and I almost had you, but you found my little stash of souvenirs dedicated to you and you left me without another word.” Tony shakes his head with a sigh. “...You’ll never know how much that nearly destroyed me, Rhodey.”

Tony rubs the ointment in small little circles and James feels like his heart has jumped inside his throat at what Tony was divulging to him.

“...But, now that I think about it, maybe I _did_ deserve a little bit of that clusterfuck. I mean, you were the perfect prey for someone like me - so naive and innocent. I paid our teacher to assign us as partners so that we could be together. I orchestrated everything between us, because I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that first day of class that you were the one. You were _it_ for me James.”

James feels nauseous, dizzy and like someone had hit him over the head with a brick - repeatedly. James’ stomach churns with something heavy and unpleasant, and before he could realize what was about to happen, he’s vomiting, so hard, it sprays across the ivory pillows, wall and headboard.

Tony doesn’t even flinch, only chuckles in response.

“You are such a fucking mess Platypus, but I still love you. I will _never_ let you go.”

James blacks out.

* * *

James awakens, alone, in an old M.I.T. sweatshirt and shorts. He is no longer handcuffed to the bed, but a tray of food rests at the foot of his bed. 

It looks fresh and when James move to touch it, the food is still warm, so he knows Tony had been in here recently to drop it off.

He eats it, like the starving man he was, and gobbles all of it down until there is nothing left.

When he finishes, he sets the tray down on the floor and moves around the small room to stretch his limbs that had been confined for so long. He is still sore, but whatever Tony had given him was helping with the pain. He didn’t feel nearly as much soreness and throbbing in his body as he did before.

But he did still feel waves of nausea and uneasiness at Tony’s words that still permeated through his brain, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

It made James fearful of Tony, of what he was capable of, which could be absolutely _anything_ at this point. If Tony could do half the shit he said he did, like tampering with his parent’s breaks, drugging him and raping him numerous times, along with kidnapping him and causing a woman he spoke about possibly loving to have a miscarriage; James did not rule out the possibility that Tony would kill him too, eventually, if he did not find a way out of here and _soon_.

* * *

The routines continue; Tony coming into his room to rape him, so hard, he bled almost every time. Then, he would help aid in his wounds, and then Tony was gone, and a tray of food would await him.

James tried to find something he could use as a weapon - _anything_ \- but Tony never allowed him to eat with forks or spoons, so James had to get creative or he was a dead man.

So, during the times Tony allowed him to roam free in his room, James would do as much searching as he possibly could without tipping Tony off. James didn’t put it past Tony to have cameras in that room, watching him and spying on him whenever he wasn’t present in the room with him, so James would have to be as discreet as possible.

James found nothing. He had to give Tony credit; he was good at what he did, despite his obvious madness. If only Tony would’ve used all of this genius for good, instead of dedicating it to to chasing after him and terrorizing him for most of his life. Who knows what great things the world could have gotten from Tony Stark had things turned out differently. James would probably always wonder about that.

But then, one day, James had an idea. Pretending to drop a strawberry to the floor and knock it so that it purposely rolled underneath the bed, it gave him an excuse to check under the bed for possible weapons. That’s when James found _exactly_ what he was looking for.

Several wooden pallets underneath the frame of the bed appearing as if they would give in at any second. This bed was obviously old and rickety, but for the first time since he arrived here, this raggedy old bed would work in his favor this time, other than serving as a platform to get sodomized and raped.

So, day by day, James broke the weak wooden pallets into small little wooden pieces - small enough to fit into his clothes. James wasn’t sure what exactly he was going to do with these wooden pallets, but he planned on doing _something_ with them, something _deadly_ and _lethal_ to Tony’s health that would get him the _hell_ out of here in one piece.

James was desperate now and he had to do what he could to make it out of this situation alive, to see his wife again, and his family, whom he knew had to be worried sick by now.

* * *

One day or night (James could never tell), James was awakened by Tony climbing on top of him and tearing away his clothing (which consisted of a ratty t-shirt and shorts) and wasted no time penetrating him with his cock.

James cried out from pain, but Tony didn’t stop. James could immediately smell alcohol on Tony’s breath and his eyes, from what James could tell, had a peculiar glint in them that had James wondering if Tony was high on something as he leaned into kiss him.

“Tony-” he tries.

“Mmm...” Tony hummed as he trailed sloppy wet kisses down his jaw. “...Daddy loves it when I fuck you on your back and I get to see your pretty face.”

James was about to put up a fight, like he always does when Tony comes to force himself inside him, but he notices Tony proceed to do something he’s _never_ done before.

Tony reaches for his handcuffs and begins unlocking them, clumsily of course.

“...Wanna feel every part of you tonight,” Tony mutters out drunkenly.

This was his opportunity, probably one of the only opportunities he’ll ever get, because Tony rarely, if ever, slips up like this.

When the cuffs fall from his wrists, James doesn’t immediately react and waits for a moment before doing so. He lets Tony lean down and kiss him again, slipping his tongue inside his mouth, before James decides to _finally_ strike.

James bites down on Tony’s tongue, sharp teeth enclosing around soft flesh, and Tony screams bloody mary in response. James flips the other man over until he straddles him, pinning him down onto the mattress.

James doesn’t stop sinking his teeth into the flesh until he sees blood gushing from Tony’s mouth, so much so, he could hear Tony gargling on his own blood, attempting to possibly say something, but unable to do so, because he was choking on his own blood. Tony tries to fight back, but he was way too intoxicated to get any meaningful hits in.

Large hands enclose around Tony’s throat as James rips away from Tony and he hears an unpleasant audible _rip_ in response. James spits out the meaty flesh, a piece of Tony’s tongue it must’ve been, and begins strangling the other man to death.

Tony was choking and James gazed down at the man who had put him through so much hell, who took advantage of him, who stalked him for years, stole parts of James he would never get back, stole his semblance of peace, of happiness and abused his trust. The man beneath him, who was a rapist and a murderer and a sadist. Tony’s eyes bulged out of his head like a maniac as tears streamed down his cheeks. 

“Lo-ve yo-u-” James thinks he hears Tony mutter at some point, but he can’t be too sure, he doesn’t care.

Tony looked like he was in so much pain and so much agony and James was glad, because he deserved that and much worse for everything’s he done, leaving him with scars that will be alive and well long after Tony Stark’s dead.

James squeezed the other man’s throat, with all the strength he could muster up in that moment, all of the anger that had been pent up for over twenty years, of the harassment, of living in fear, of the abuse, the rapes, the lies and the deceit. 

Tears streamed down James’ face and dripped down onto the man below him who made strange gurgling sounds, his attempts at fighting back gradually slow the longer James _squeezes_ , squeezes _so hard_ his muscles begin to ache, but James doesn’t care. He will _never_ let go until he sees the life drain from those bloodshot, red rimmed eyes that used to be a hazel color, but are now a bloody red, much more pigmented than James’ blood in that bucket of water Tony used to clean his wounds with.

Finally though, James hears a satisfying audible _crack,_ and then Tony’s eyes, filled with blood, roll to the back of his head and when James finally lets go, Tony’s head falls to the side in an unnatural way.

Tony’s dead.

And yet, this is still not enough for James. He’s still angry. So, he punches Tony, right square in the face, _hard_ , and then he punches him again, and _again_ after that, until he hears another audible _crack_ , and at first, James think it’s his own bones cracking from pummeling Tony’s face in repeatedly, but then quickly realizes it’s from Tony’s jaw shattering from his firm, solid blows.

Tony looks unrecognizable now and James feels only a little bit better at the gruesome sight beneath him, but not _completely_ satisfied.

James spends the next hour sodomizing and battering Tony’s deceased body, until he’s out of breath and hot tears are streaming down his cheeks, from exhaustion, pain, anger and hurt.

Tony was _finally_ the sad, pathetic sight he’d made him out to be for so long. Tony could no longer hurt him or anyone else for that matter.

James feels relieved at Tony’s deceased corpse and stares at his lifeless body for a long while (the same way his body looked on all those tapes) before he flees the scene, in search for a way out and for help, like he should have done all those years back.

* * *

It has been two years since Tony’s death and James still struggled with coming to terms with it. Every year on the anniversary of Tony’s death was like reliving the entire incident over again.

James could never forget how he spent nearly an hour attempting to break out of the home situated miles away from civilization and protected by the best security James had ever seen in his life, which is why it took him so long to escape. Tony had made sure whomever came inside the large home would encounter difficulty getting out. It was obvious to James that Tony had planned this down to the nuts and bolts and truly had no plans of ever letting him go.

Tony had enough food, supplies, clothing, entertainment and everything else in between to last at least several years to come. Those details would later haunt James and keep him up for many nights to come. 

But the one thing that James would always remember was how exhausted he felt, how drained and depleted he was once he finally made it out and spent another couple hours searching for any sign of humanity and civilization of any kind and the tears of joy that escaped like waterfalls once he’d finally came up on a gas station. He probably looked like a maniac, but the man behind the counter - frazzled and shocked he was - called for help and was kind enough to attempt in nursing whatever visible wounds James had until the ambulance and police arrived.

It was such a huge blur after that. James had only came to three days later to find Monica by his side, alongside his mother and father and older sister. The doctor had informed him that he was in relatively good health despite the circumstances he was in for such a long period of time, especially compared to other victims in similar predicaments as he. The worse he suffered from was an anxiety attack and a few minor scratches here and there. Other than that, physically, he would be as good as new.

For the Rhodes family, for Monica, his mother, father and sister - it was an emotionally draining day. James had discovered that he’d been reported “AWOL” for an entire year. A year of his life had been stolen from him, snatched away, and on top of that, most people presumed he was already dead after a fruitless six months of persistent searching and an investigation of his case that was just in the beginning stages of going cold.

It was devastating and James felt utterly sick, especially at the way his loved ones wept once he revealed the truth behind his disappearance, of Tony Stark and what had been going on since the day he met that wretched soul (if Tony even had one to begin with). 

An abundance of tears were shed and there was not one dry eye in that hospital room. It was such a sad, grief-stricken, emotionally draining day for everyone. But James also felt immense relief that it was _finally_ over, that he made it out alive and somewhat in one piece. The scars and bruises, evidence of his abuse, faded with time, but the scars and bruises of the psychological abuse and trauma of what he had gone through would be forever and the struggle with overcoming it would be indefinite.

James, with encouragement of his wife Monica and healthcare professionals, was now enrolled in therapy in order to begin to reconcile with what he had gone through for much of his life and to begin the process of healing and moving on and somehow, someway, forgiving Tony for what he’d done - not for Tony of course - but for himself; so he could reach his full potential, to be the husband Monica deserved and now the father his unborn children deserved.

Yes, _children_. Monica had not only discovered she was pregnant, but with _twins_! James almost fainted at the news, but with happiness and excitement of what his future had in store for him.

James’ life did not begin and end with Tony, it didn’t have to if he didn’t allow it to.

Although James knew that Tony was dead and gone, he still felt like Tony had somehow cheated the system and was still out there somewhere, lurking and waiting for the perfect time to strike again, like he had before.

And oddly enough, James had also felt... remorse, guilt and sadness for Tony’s death, even after everything. James felt disgusted by this and angry with himself for still being able to conjure up any form of sympathy for that man, even after all the hell he put him through, so much of his life he had taken up and dominated, and the trauma James was now left to deal with as a result.

Tony didn’t deserve James’ sympathy or grief, didn’t deserve any more room in James’ thoughts, didn’t deserve to take up any more of his life than he already has thus far. And yet, Tony still received all of these things from James, even after his death. It fucked with James and he loathed himself for allowing this man to still control him, even in death.

James’ therapist stated that this was a symptom of his PTSD and Stockholm syndrome; both conditions not uncommon for those that have undergone what he had. It was completely normal, no matter how awful it felt. It was just one of the after effects of experiencing an extremely traumatic event, and in James’ case, _several_ traumatic events throughout his life that involved his stalker, rapist and captor. 

James figured that, no matter how much time had gone by, Tony would _always_ be a apart of him, apart of his memories, apart of his thoughts and unfortunately apart of his dreams as well. There would always be apart of him that could _never_ forget the audible sound of Tony’s neck snapping and the life draining from his eyes. James knew Tony was dead and that there was no way he could have survived that, but he knew better than anyone else how unpredictable Tony was and that every time James would let his guard down, that was when Tony would always strike.

And then, there would always be apart of him that was soft for Tony, that loved that scrawny 14-year old boy he’d met so many years back at M.I.T., with the bowl haircut, round hazel eyes and mischievous smirk that always seemed present whenever James was around.

James would probably always reminisce about the good times they did have (no matter how few and far between they were) and wish for things to have turned out better and a lot less violent and traumatic than it did.

It will always be a cruel duality of love and hatred for the person he would always love and hate for the rest of his life. An internal conflict that would never go away. It was one of the many unfortunate effects of being tortured in every possible way there is to be by a psychopath. 

James would _never_ forget it, could _never_ forget Tony Stark, but what James _could_ do was focus on healing and moving on. James needed to forgive himself, so he could be a better person not only for himself, but for his wife, future children and family than Tony _ever_ was to him. If James could achieve those things (with the help of his therapist of course), he knows that he will _finally_ be at peace with his life - a little beaten, a little bruised, a little broken up - but at peace, nevertheless.


End file.
